Masisi-Khama’s four-year rivalry
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday April 4, 2022 07:39
“I wish to express my sincere gratitude to you on behalf of Batswana Sir, as you have been a great source of inspiration to all of us. Allow me in the same breath to wish you a happy, restful and rewarding retirement,” Masisi told Khama sitting across him during the inauguration ceremony.
But it never turned out to be a ‘happy, restful and rewarding’ retirement for Khama who is currently in exile in South Africa.
“He became drunk with power when he took office. When I stepped down and said I was going to continue my charitable work, conservation work. As a former president I would get invited to officiate at schools, anniversaries. I was told that Masisi objected to the fact that I was still in the public arena. I was not after politics. I was not competing with him because he was the man who was my vice president. Masisi ordered that I should not be assisted in being able to be transported around the country in any of these functions. These schools most of them were government schools and they were told to withdraw the invitations. Public officers were told not to facilitate me. Businessmen were told not to donate to my charitable organisation and the government media were also told to stop covering me. He said Masisi exposed a side of him of not being totally intolerant,” Khama recently told eNCA in an interview.
Looking back to the early days of the rivalry, a month after Masisi took control of the highest office in the country, a Botswana Defence Force (BDF) savingram directed all Air Arm units that Khama must never again fly BDF aircraft as crew.
“When flying the former president you are required to accord him VIP status and the crew should be as per Air Staff Instructions (ASI),” stated the memo.
Unable to now fly BDF freely as he used to starting from his BDF days, Khama opted to request for air transportation from the government.
Masisi is said to have rejected a request by his predecessor, Khama to use a government aircraft to travel around the country. Responding to Khama’s request for transportation the then Permanent Secretary to the President (PSP) Carter Morupisi wrote to Khama’s office: “I am advised to relay the message to you by His Excellency the President Mokgweetsi Masisi that your request to use an aircraft has been denied”.
As a result Khama was stranded and this did not sit well with the former army general. Masisi adopted an aggressive policy. He clearly refused to grant Khama the use of government-owned transport, particularly aircraft. Masisi also denied Khama the benefit of international air travel to visit Dalai Lama in India and even withdrew his security detail.
He escalated the matter further by reversing some of Khama’s initiatives and dismissed some of the senior government officials who formed an integral part of the Khama regime most notably former Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) director general, Isaac Kgosi. Instead of meeting and ironing out their issues, Masisi and Khama never did. The two bumped on each other coincidentally on public gatherings.
Government media blacked out the former president and Khama became friends of the private media. Khama used this moment to condemn Masisi and his government. Khama then started a mission of his own by campaigning for opponents of some of BDP’s heavyweights in the 2018 Bulela Ditswe elections.
As result of Khama’s magic, one Francisco Kgoboko who was launched by Khama himself managed to unseat the then incumbent Bobirwa MP, Kgathi with a huge margin by garnering 5,595 votes to Kgathi’s 1,785.
In Serowe West, Khama defied the BDP again by addressing last minute kgotla meetings in all the wards accompanied by his young brother, Tshekedi Khama who was a parliamentary candidate in the constituency and won. Khama defied Bulela Ditswe primaries rules in the process. Khama was causing a lot of havoc and a raging storm was forming in the BDP.
This caught attention of the BDP elders who decided to intervene before the matter got out of hand. The BDP Council of Elders including former vice president, Ponatshego Kedikilwe, David Magang, the late Ray Molomo, Peter Siele and Patrick Balopi met with Khama seeking the reconciliation of the former president and his successor, Masisi but this failed.
At the time it was reported that after what he deemed as betrayal on Masisi’s part, Khama didn’t want to bury the hatchet with his former subordinate. Masisi on the other hand didn’t like Khama’s actions and his involvement in the BDP politics post retirement. Then came the year 2019 and most campaigns were picking up momentum ahead of the election in October that year.
Khama’s displeasure with Masisi’s administration hadn’t died out and he then told throngs of BDP diehards that Morupisi, who has worked under him, had become a stooge and a lapdog of the current regime as he has become so vicious against him. He bemoaned incessant abuse at the hands of President Masisi and the now disgraced Morupisi.
When former Cabinet minister, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi announced her brave quest to become the next ruling party president, Khama publicly announced that he would support her. Rumours circulated that Venson-Moitoi had been sent by the frustrated Khama to unseat Masisi.
But Venson-Moitoi choked last minute and in May that year, Khama finally announced his eminent exit from the ruling BDP, a party founded by his father Sir Seretse Khama.
Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) was formed thereafter with the now pushed out Biggie Butale as the interim leader of the new organisation.
Khama’s brother Tshekedi tried to stay put at the BDP but the growing tensions with his then boss, Masisi, and big brother forced him out and proved to everyone that despite all, blood is still thicker than water.
Ian Khama as patron of the newly formed BPF outfit did spite Masisi and his regime more as he helped BPF win all the three parliamentary seats in Serowe in the 2019 general elections.
Khama’s magic also helped the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) unseat Masisi’s BDP in some of their stranglehold constituencies up in the north. Even though BDP eventually did win the election Masisi and the BDP were rattled by the power of Khama’s magic.
The year 2020 came along with it the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic did most to diminish the rivalry because many efforts were put to fight the unknown enemy that was causing havoc.
During the lockdown there was some instances where the Masisi-led government revoked the travel permit it had issued to the former president, but the pandemic continued to halt this rivalry. Last year, the rivalry was renewed when Khama started challenging some of the decisions made by Masisi.
The Gaborone High Court then ordered the government to reimburse former president Ian Khama for all the costs he incurred during a trip to India in 2019. Khama sought the review of Masisi’s refusal to grant him the use of government-owned transport, particularly aircraft. But Khama has since lost the appeal and went further to label the ruling a gross injustice.
The rivalry reached its highest peak late last year when Khama went into self-imposed exile in South Africa in an effort to escape DIS harassment.
Khama felt he was next on DIS’ list as demonstrated by his ally Kgosi who had been arrested, searched and arraigned before courts several times. Khama said he was aware of DIS’ intention to arrest and consequently allegedly make him ‘disappear’ once in custody. Khama had been accused by the DIS of threatening national security.
He has been alleged to be hiding weapons of war in some of his properties. The DIS recently detained now suspended Police Commissioner Keabetswe Makgophe, Khama’s twin brothers Anthony and Tshekedi as well as the latter’s wife Thea Khama.
The spate of arrests is in connection with the investigation against Ian Khama. The former president has since stated that the detentions are a witch-hunt concocted by the intelligence agency to target his family and finish them off.
“The Office of the President is aware of the recent allegations by Ian Khama, on the general governance situation prevailing in Botswana. Members of the public are reminded that allegations made by the Former President to the effect that there is regression of the democratic values in Botswana are not only unfounded but also misleading and to a large extent a distortion of the reality on the ground,” the government recently responded in a press release.
In January Khama’s uncles motivated by the current DIS investigations against him attempted to have a conversation with President Masisi over their son and leader. Masisi instead sent the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Kgotla Autlwetse to mediate on his behalf. Infuriated by Masisi’s lack of reply to their requested meeting, the Bangwato royals last week disclosed that they are disappointed that Masisi decided to relegate the issue to Autlwetse.
They took a decision to give up on the reconciliation talks. Khama on the other side claims that Masisi has refused every effort made to bring this matter to an end. But Autlwetse claims that Masisi has never refused to meet for reconciliation.
Following the collapse of the reconciliations talks the battle lines have been drawn and Autlwetse has since ordered Bangwato regent Kgosi Sediegeng Kgamane to never take instructions or directions of whatever nature, or agree to implement such, as issued by Ian Khama.
In defiance, Khama has requested his uncles in his absence to urgently call Bangwato to a kgotla meeting today. This is far from over, not by a long shot.